Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About Labor Day (US)Sept 05 : 02 days to Labor Day

Did you know that the first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882?

Festivities included a picnic in New York City hosted by the Central Labor Union.

Did you know that there is an historical debate over when the concept of Labor Day began?

The Labor Department maintains that the idea was introduced by Peter J. McGuire, the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.

Other historians maintain that a machinist named Matthew Maguire, who was the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, suggested the holiday in 1882.

Labor Day in America is a day to remember and pay tribute to the contributions made by the country’s workers and laborers. Join us as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to Labor Day in the US!